Dear Wizarding Britain
Disclaimer: I own nothing. If I did, I probably wouldn't be playing around on fanfiction. Sorry for the wait. I've been binge-reading a lot, while letting my muse recharge.
A/N: I sincerely apologize for the long wait for a new chapter, I was more interested in binge-reading, and then I was in a car accident this past Monday - on the first day of my vacation when I intended to work on this story. I'm sorry to disappoint you if you were expecting a really exciting chapter, I'm trying to work on transitioning from boring details, to details that are worth reading. Also time lapses are my struggle as well.
Harry and Daphne began their exploration of the island, walking side by side along the shoreline, enjoying the feel of the waves on their bare feet as the waves washed in and out of the seashore. They spoke about inconsequential topics, while Daphne would occasionally notice rare and beautiful shells that she would stop to collect, before continuing their romantic walk.
Eventually, Daphne had collected enough shells to make it difficult to carry by hand, and so Harry conjured a basket for her to store her findings. "Thanks," Daphne said with a shy smile.
"No problem," Harry replied with a smile.
They were silent a moment before Daphne stated, "This island is so much more peaceful than the beach that Blaise and I were hiding in our tent near. There were constantly people coming and going. If not for the ability to hide our tent using wards and elf magic, there would not have been any peace at all."
There was a brief pause in the conversation as they enjoyed the sound of the waves crashing, mixed in with the sound of the seagulls squawking.
"It is definitely a wonderful little piece of paradise; o strangers to deal with, no muggles to hide magic from. It's completely isolated from the world," Harry replied thoughtfully, "but even so, the desire to see something other than water and sand kicks in every now and again. Granted, I've been free to leave more often than most of the inhabitants here, due to some latent magical gifts that developed after my coming of age inheritance, or whatever you want to call it, but even still, that doesn't stop me from wishing to be free to travel."
Daphne's curiosity peaked, as she heard the term latent magical gifts, and raised an eyebrow in question. "What kind of latent magical gifts?" She wondered aloud.
Harry just smirked and said, "Perhaps I'll show you someday." As they began walking away from the shoreline, Harry thoughtfully conjured a pair of sandals for each of them to wear during their upcoming trek through the jungle.
Daphne huffed in response and gave a mock pout to Harry's comment, even as she gave him a grateful smile for the sandals, then pointed out, "You seemed free enough when you found Blaise and I."
"True," Harry agreed, "but I can't travel under my own identity, name or appearance, for fear that the Dark Idiot and his minions will track me down and choose to come after me, even though I've stated that I'll leave him Wizarding Britain. And even if it's not the Dark Idiot, what if I get recognized by the regular magical folk that hate me for leaving, even though I was just a kid that they shouldn't have expected to save them."
"Oh, Merlin, Dark Idiot?" Daphne asked in shock, not even registering the rest of what he said, as she looked around warily, as if Voldemort were just hiding behind a tree and would jump out of hiding at any moment.
"Relax, he's not going to jump out from under a rock, Daphne. We figured out a while ago that his name has a taboo, so we just tend to call him whatever random name that comes to mind when we choose to speak of him."
"I apologize," Daphne replied a bit sheepishly. "Life at Hogwarts was difficult after he took over our world. Anyone who was the least bit irreverent was severely punished or disappeared entirely."
Harry was quiet for a moment and said, "I'm sorry, that must have been difficult to experience."
Daphne shook her head and said, "There's no reason for you to apologize. You're just one of the lucky ones that was free to leave before it got so bad." Then she sighed and said, "It's been so bad at Hogwarts that an unbetrothed witch found walking alone was viewed as consent to sexual advances and/or asking for unspeakable things to be done to her. We had to travel in groups for our own safety, even those of us in Slytherin, though I don't know how much longer that would have kept the perverted headmaster from eventually getting me on my own.
"I would have been safe from the headmaster, if I had stayed to accept the betrothal my father was trying to force me into, but I didn't want to be forced to choose between the lesser of two evils. My sister was somehow able to decipher my resolve to run away and sacrificed herself and her own happiness in order to help me escape. I don't even know if she's okay. I have no way to get in contact with her."
Harry didn't know what to say to make Daphne feel better, so he stayed silent for a moment, going over in his mind what he could do help her sister, as he led her to the beginning of the trail that led into the jungle and towards the lagoon he wanted to show her. All trails going through the jungle were covered in protective wards to keep any predators and insects outside of the perimeter, which was the width and length of the path and about 9 feet in height.
After probably a full minute of silence, Harry said, "I understand that my leaving Britain caused the war to escalate in a way that it mightn't have, had I stayed. I'm not sorry I left, but I am sorry that I was too angry with the world at that time to try to see past my anger and not have at least attempted to reach out to more of the magicals I knew were trying to remain neutral in the war."
A few more steps were taken in silent contemplation, then they arrived at the start of the specific trail Harry was leading her towards.
When Daphne noticed the entrance to the trail leading into the jungle, she took a deep breath to calm herself and changed the subject. While it was probably something they should talk about in the future, she didn't want to ruin the mood any more than it had been already with such serious talk. "I'll admit that the jungle is beautiful, but I don't believe that it's likely to become my favorite place any time soon. While I can appreciate the beauty of nature, I don't care all that much for being out in it, beyond collecting the odd potions ingredients."
"Yes, it's certainly not for everyone. In fact, I think that myself and Luna are probably the only ones who come out here more frequently than anyone," Harry replied. "I find I enjoy the peacefulness of being here among the trees to observe the wildlife, and Luna adores exploring and discovering all of the magical creatures that have found a refuge here."
"Hmm. I can see that," Daphne replied, as she noticed the odd bowtruckle hiding in the trees. "What magical creatures call this place home?"
"Well, we have a small herd of thestrals that live a bit deeper into that part of the jungle," Harry said, as he pointed towards the direction he spoke of. "Luna told me that she'd seen a small family of demiguise near the heart of the jungle, but I have yet to see them. There are also a couple of hippogriffs and a griffin or two that roam through here on occasion."
"Are we safe to go in there then?" Daphne asked worriedly.
"Of course, we're safe. I wouldn't have brought you out here if it wasn't safe, which you will be, provided you're out here with me or don't venture off the trails, because the trails have wards to keep you safe; unlike the Forbidden Forest at Hogwarts." Harry responded with confidence.
Daphne gave a nervous nod and said, "Okay. But if anything attacks me, I'll be holding you responsible."
"If anything happens to you, I'll hold myself responsible as well," Harry replied solemnly, then grinned when Daphne wound her hand around his arm.
Harry and Daphne had been hiking along the trail for about fifteen minutes, when Harry led Daphne to a small lagoon where previous inhabitants of the island (who were more than likely ancestors of The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black) had charmed a waterfall to flow into it, to keep the water fresh. There were a multitude of other charms and wards around the area as well, but so far Harry hadn't figured them all out yet.
Harry glanced at Daphne and studied her as she took in the scenery. Her expression fluctuated a bit between surprise and awe, as her gaze switched from left to right, up and down in rapid succession, as if she couldn't take it all in fast enough. Finally, her expression settled on awe and she turned to Harry with a bright smile filled with gratitude at being able to witness such a breathtaking view.
"I take it back. I'm certain this will become my new favorite place!" Daphne expressed breathlessly.
Harry grinned at her enthusiasm, quite pleased with her reaction to one of his favorite places on the island, and having someone to share it with who could appreciate its beauty just as much.
Harry watched her as Daphne toed off her sandals and slowly walked to the edge of the lagoon. "How cold does the water get?" She asked, as she looked over her shoulder at Harry, inwardly smirking when she noticed he had been staring at her bum.
Having been caught looking, even if he couldn't see much more than the curve of her arse with her robe still in place, Harry slowly brought his eyes back up to meet her eyes with some difficulty, as he found her arse to be quite pleasing to look at. He cleared his throat and replied, "The charms around the lagoon seem to have been designed to adjust to the swimmers' needs. Don't ask me how it works, because I haven't taken time to try to figure it out, but somehow they were designed to sense when a swimmer wants the water to be cooler or warmer and will adjust itself accordingly."
"How interesting," Daphne said, as she did a temperature test with a toe. "What does it do when there is more than one swimmer in the lagoon?" She asked, tilting her head in curiosity.
Harry shrugged, even though Daphne was no longer looking over her shoulder at him, and said, "I don't know. I've never swam with anyone out here before."
That caused Daphne to raise a curious eyebrow and turn her body back around so that she was facing him. "You mean to tell me that you have had two beautiful women here on this island with you this whole time and you haven't once been out here with either of them?"
Daphne wasn't truly worried, she had realized by now that Harry and Hermione had more of a sibling-like relationship, the same as with her and Blaise. Plus, she had noticed that Lovegood and Longbottom seemed to have a thing for the other. So she doubted that she would have any competition, so to speak, from either of them. However, she was curious about how he would respond to the question.
Harry made a face that pretty much answered her question as to his sibling-like feelings for the two girls, but verbally said, "Hermione and Luna are like my family, so I haven't brought either of them out here in any kind of romantic capacity, but I have shown them this place, just in case they ever wanted to come out here instead of going down to the beach, but I didn't join them when they swam. As it turns out, the family wards prevent anyone from being able to even find this spot, unless I'm with them."
Daphne gave Harry a teasing smirk, as she slowly walked the distance between herself and Harry, sashaying her hips teasingly. Her smirk grew a bit more pronounced when she noticed how Harry's eyes watched her as if she were prey.
When she was right back in front of Harry, Daphne reached out her hand and walked her fingers up his chest, stopping just below his neckline, before walking her fingers back down and said in a teasing, husky voice, "So you've brought us somewhere only you can find and we won't be interrupted?" She grinned when he heard his breath catch.
Harry quickly caught her hand in his own, so that she couldn't keep teasing him with her fingers and replied huskily, "You're making it very difficult for me to remain a gentleman, love." His morphing abilities being the only thing that kept him from showing just how excited she was making him.
"What if I don't want you to be a gentleman?" Daphne asked in a sultry whisper, as she stepped up on her tippy toes so that her lips were within a couple of inches from Harry's.
Harry gulped and tried to keep his head, while his eyes burned into her own, "As much as I'd like to take advantage of what you seem to be offering, I don't want this to turn into a fling," he said seriously, as he placed his other hand, that was not holding her hand still, on her cheek. She unconsciously leaned into his touch.
"I don't want this to be a fling either," Daphne replied just as seriously. "I'm not saying I'm ready to jump into bed with you immediately, but I am in serious need of a snogging session."
Harry let his amusement show at that and replied, "I am definitely not opposed to a good snogging session," as he leaned forward to capture her lips in a chaste kiss, before he pulled back and rested his forehead against hers, with both hands now cupping her face.
"That does not count as a snog," Daphne breathed.
Harry chuckled as he moved his head back a bit and said, "I promise to snog the breath out of you in a moment, I just wanted to make myself clear."
Daphne remained silent, then, so Harry continued, "I'll admit that I haven't read up on pureblood traditions when it comes to courting," Daphne looked as if she were going to interrupt, so he put a finger over her lips, which she attempted to lick with her tongue, causing Harry to move his hands to where they were caressing her at the back of her head and her jawline.
Harry gave her a mock glare and said, "Will you please let me say this?"
Daphne made a show of rolling her eyes and indicated with a small nod for him to continue.
"I don't know the pureblood traditions. And you obviously wouldn't be here with me now if you wanted to be courted as a pureblood; am I reading the situation right?" Harry asked. Daphne just nodded, trying not to show her impatience.
"Okay. I'm just going to be blunt about it. I like you a lot, Daphne. I want to get to know you, and I don't want to ruin it by going too fast because I want to fuck you." Harry stated bluntly. Daphne blushed, but kept eye contact. "Sorry," Harry said, "I don't always watch my language when I should. I'm screwing this up, aren't I?"
Daphne just grinned and said, "Let me see if I've grasped your meaning. You want to court me, but you don't know the traditions. You realize I may not care for the traditions any longer, since I'm here. You want to get to know me for more than just to bed me. Have. I got it right so far?"
Harry laughed and said, "Yes, but what I'm clumsily trying to say is that I'm serious about this. I want a go at a real relationship with you, not just a bit of fun. I know we're still a bit young to be worried about marriage yet, but I want to date you with the hope that it leads to marriage, with children and all."
"Good." Daphne said seriously, "I want that too. Now, for the love of Merlin, snog me!"
Harry didn't have to be told again. Seconds later, his lips attached themselves to hers and they shared their first passionate kiss that lasted for several minutes. In one swift movement, Harry had Daphne in his arms with her legs wrapped around his waist, as he quickly carried her over to a nearby boulder, which he wandlessly spelled with cushioning charms, before he leaned her up against it.
Once Harry's hands were no longer needed to hold her up, they took on a life of their own, as they wandered up and down Daphne's bare skin that wasn't covered up by her swimsuit, as the robe had been lost sometime along the way to the boulder.
Daphne's hands were no less idle, alternating between being tangled in his hair and rubbing up and down his back, relishing in the feel of his muscles under her small hands.
After what could have been hours, but were mere minutes, they broke apart to catch their breath. Harry leaned down and placed small kisses alongside Daphne's cheeks and down her neck, while she continued to bring her breathing back down to a normal level.
When Harry seemed to be getting lost in the moment and his trail of kisses started creeping down towards Daphne's cleavage and his fingers started running under the edge of the fabric covering her bum, Daphne put her hands against his chest and pushed back a bit and said, "I believe now might be a good time to cool off and go for a swim."
Harry immediately pulled back to give some space between them and surreptitiously adjusted himself, before replying, "You go right ahead, I'll just be a moment."
Daphne gave him a knowing little smirk, having felt the evidence of his desire before he adjusted and gave him another quick peck on the lips before she unwound her legs from around his waist, and he helped her get her feet beneath herself. Once Harry was sure she was steady on her feet, he stepped back and allowed her to retreat.
Seconds later, Daphne jumped feet first into the lagoon, immersing herself all the way under the water before kicking back up the the surface. "You weren't kidding about the charms. It went from lukewarm when I put my toes in earlier, to ice cold, but now I can feel it gradually warming back up to a more comfortable temperature."
Harry found himself speechless at the sight of a wet Daphne Greengrass and thought to himself, "If I died tonight, I would die a very happy man."
A/N: I've marked this story as mature, but I'm still struggling in my mind with how mature to make these sex scenes (even though this one technically wasn't one, I'm trying to work my way up). I'm trying to make it feel like a natural progression, but I'm still having my doubts on how well I'm portraying their progress from distant acquaintances to lovers.
